Questions about Country Specific Instructions for Africa

[Sandrainzambia]

Hi there,

I have a few questions regarding the country specific instructions for my husband who lives in Zambia.

It states that we need to provide birth certificates, baptismal certificates or other official documents confirming your relationship for you and each of your family family members. Because it talks about those things in pluaral is this only for someone who is being sponsored with children and that you need to provide proof that they are your children? The reason I ask is because my husband doesn't have a birth certificate because in Zambia its not something that everyone gets. It will be a long complicated process to try and get him a birth certificate. We have our marriage certificate from Canada as well as his National ID card and Passport.

Secondly, it says you must provide a Family Composition Certificate or family booklet where applicable. Zambia has no idea what this is, so can I trust that this is irrelevant for us?

Lastly, the form where it asks for details of family members. I was looking through the instruction booklet and it describes family members as being either a spouse or dependant children, not mother, father, brother or sister. So that is pretty straight forward that I get to write Not Applicable, correct?

Thanks for the help!

 

[PMM]

HI

Hi there,

I have a few questions regarding the country specific instructions for my husband who lives in Zambia.

It states that we need to provide birth certificates, baptismal certificates or other official documents confirming your relationship for you and each of your family family members. Because it talks about those things in pluaral is this only for someone who is being sponsored with children and that you need to provide proof that they are your children? The reason I ask is because my husband doesn't have a birth certificate because in Zambia its not something that everyone gets. It will be a long complicated process to try and get him a birth certificate. We have our marriage certificate from Canada as well as his National ID card and Passport.

Secondly, it says you must provide a Family Composition Certificate or family booklet where applicable. Zambia has no idea what this is, so can I trust that this is irrelevant for us?

Lastly, the form where it asks for details of family members. I was looking through the instruction booklet and it describes family members as being either a spouse or dependant children, not mother, father, brother or sister. So that is pretty straight forward that I get to write Not Applicable, correct?

Thanks for the help!

1. He needs a birth certificate, CIC doesn't care how difficult it is to get.
2. Remember the information is General Africa, if it doesn't exist in Zambia then it doesn't have to be included.
3. He has to complete the IMM 5406 where he lists his family members.

 

[canadianwoman]

If it is common in a country that no birth certificate was issued, then you don't need one. Up until the late 1970s in Nigeria, for example, only people born in a hospital got a birth certificate (maybe), and most people weren't born in a hospital. My husband doesn't have one, but we proved his age other ways: his baptismal certificate, his passport, an affidavit from his eldest brother stating his birth date. This was acceptable to the visa office - the officers often seem to lack common sense, but in this case they've processed thousands of people who don't have a birth certificate.

Your husband does have to list his brothers and sisters on one part of the form.